


Empty Swimming Pools

by TheUKAmazingDan



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Fluff, Height difference, M/M, Olympics, Olympics AU, Rio olympics, Sports, Summer Olympics, Swimming, slight homophobia, supportiveboyfriend!dan, swimmer!phil
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-13
Updated: 2016-08-13
Packaged: 2018-08-08 11:23:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7755850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheUKAmazingDan/pseuds/TheUKAmazingDan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Phil had made it to the Olympics, now he just had to win.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Empty Swimming Pools

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! This is just a short fic to celebrate the Olympics happening right now in Rio!

"Hello, and welcome to the Men's 200 Meter Freestyle event in Rio! We will start in ten minutes!" A cheerful voice boomed from over the loudspeaker. 

My coach had already talked to me, and now I was alone with my boyfriend. Dan and I were standing in the private hallway leading to the pool. I stood, clad in only my speedo, while Dan was jumping up and down in front of me, sporting a shirt with my face on it, and waving a small British flag. The only other people around were the families of the other swimmers competing in the same event that I was. 

"Listen to me." Dan said seriously, grabbing my bare shoulders tightly. "You are going to go out there, and kick some major ass!" He yelled, shaking me. "Michael Fucking Phelps has nothing on you!" He screamed, attracting the attention of several people who were standing around. 

"Hey!" Michael yelled from across the hall where he stood, wife on one arm and his baby cradled in the other. I mouthed over a small apology, but he only smiled and shook his head in a gesture that no offense was taken. 

"Babe!" I chuckled, bringing my hands up to place on either side of his face. "Whatever happens, happens." 

"I know, but goddammit, I believe you're the bloody best and no one else can tell me otherwise!" He replied, wrapping his arms around my neck. 

"I'm far from the very best." I laughed, letting my hands venture down to his hips. I pulled him closer to me, then leaned down ever so slightly to press my forehead against his. "I thought we established that when I've won 4th place in every event I've competed in." It was true. I had been in three other events and in every single one I had been just a second away from winning a bronze medal. 

"You'll always be the very best to me." He whispered. "You deserve every gold medal, Phil. You're my fucking hero." He smiled slightly, his eyes brimming with tears. 

"Oh Baby, why are you crying?" I asked gently, kissing his nose and bringing up my hand to wipe away a single tear that fell down his cheek. 

"It's the chlorine." He muttered, looking down. "It's obviously irritating my eyes." He sniffed, wiping his eyes on my skin. 

"Sure it is." I whispered, tilting up his chin and pressing my lips to his. He kissed back gently, pulling my body closer to his as he stood on his tiptoes to kiss me with ease. I was six foot two, while Dan was only five foot eleven. He didn't hate our height difference, in fact, he rather enjoyed it. I was his big, strong swimmer man who would carry him to bed and lean down to press kisses onto his forehead. 

"It is!" He insisted quietly after I disconnected our lips. "Of course I'm not emotional over the fact that my boyfriend is doing what he always dreamed of. Why would I cry over something like that?" He asked sarcastically, hugging me tightly all the while. 

"Would all friends and family members please make their way to their seats?" The same voice crackled through the intercom. "The event will begin in five minutes." 

"You better go." I whispered, hugging him tightly once more before letting him go. 

"I don't want to." He whimpered, giving me one last squeeze before dropping his arms to his sides. 

"Hey." I said gently grabbing his hand and running my fingers over his knuckles. "You'll be in the front row, screaming your head off just like at practice, right?"

"Obviously." He snorted, rolling his eyes. 

"Then I'll see you, well, more like hear you, out there." I smiled, bringing his hand up to my mouth and delivering a single kiss to the back of his hand. "Now you better go." I whispered, smiling as he held the hand I had kissed to his heart then turned around on his heel to walk out, a dopey smile on his face. 

I walked through the opposite door that he had, following the other swimmers out to the pool. This was my first time ever being at the Olympics, and I was honored. I was twenty years old with a dream that I never thought was possible until I stepped into the changing rooms. I could feel people staring at me as I wondered out and stood behind my place just like the rest of the competitors. On my right side was a man of average height from Jamaica, I believe, and on the other side was a shorter man from Australia. Both glared at their competitors with hate-filled eyes. I could only gulp as they stared directly at me. 

I began to psych myself up, shaking my hands and jumping up and down a few times. There were people surrounding me everywhere, and some of the faces were more intimidating than others. Suddenly, a cry rang out from the crowd directly behind me. I turned my head slightly, and grinned at who it was. "You can do this Phil! I love you Baby!" He screeched, waving his flag and hanging over the barrier that separated the fans from the pool. 

The Jamaican man beside me wrinkled up his nose once he saw the cheering was directed at me. "You are gay?" He asked in a thickly accented voice. 

"Yes." I answered, crossing my arms over my chest and sending him a glare. "Do you have a problem with that?" I asked defensively. 

"I just thought the Olympics were for people of higher standards, but I guess England missed the memo." He replied, obvious disgust showing on his face. "In all honesty, I'm a bit afraid to swim with you now. You could have something. I don't want AIDS." He sneered. 

I was taken aback, shocked at the things he had said. "Hey Mate!" The Australian guy snapped. 

"Me?" I asked, turning to face him. 

"No, Homophobe Harry over there." He said gently. 

"You must have a problem with this too!" The Jamaican man said, crossing his arms over his chest. 

"No, actually I don't." Australian man replied back. "The only one who seems to have a problem with this is you. So if you want to whine about how a gay man is swimming with you, how about you go sit out, that way you can definitely cost your country a medal." 

The other man was rendered speechless. "Thank you." I said to the Australian.

He didn't get a chance to respond, as the announcer started to introduce us for the crowds. "Starting on the left, we have Sun Yang, representing China!" Parts of the crowd began cheering at screaming at the mention of his name. "Next, we have Michael Phelps, representing the United States of America!" Almost the entire crowd cheered when his name was called. Everybody loved Michael Phelps.

"Next, is David McKeon, representing Australia." Again, only parts of the audience cheered. "Beside him, we have Phillip Lester, representing Great Britain." 

Only a portion of the crowd cheered, but I could hear Dan loud and clear over any screams. "You kick ass, Baby! GET OUT THERE AND WIN FOR ME!" He screamed. I turned around to look at him, and as I met his eyes, it was like nothing else mattered. We stared at each other, blocking out the world. He mouthed out an 'I love you.' and I did the same back. We shared a smile, and I blew him a kiss that made all of the girls sitting behind him swoon. 

I turned back to my position, the same as the others swimmers, and tried to steady my breathing. I would win for Daniel. I picked up the swim cap and goggles that were lying on the floor in my place. I put them on, then stretched my arms behind my back. I would win for Dan. His face kept racing through my mind as I prepared to swim. 

"Would you please get into your starting positions." A voice demanded over the intercom. Almost in sync, we all moved to bend into position on the starting boards. This was it. This was the moment that would define the rest of my life. I tried not to think about it, replacing the thoughts of failure and finality with thoughts of Dan. His hair, his eyes, his cute nose. I could make a great life for us if I won. This was a chance of a lifetime.

I climbed onto the starting platform, placing my feet in the correct places just like the others. I could do this. I took a deep breath, then tensed my muscles, ready to dive into the water. The silence of the room came on suddenly, every bated breath being amplified. But just as quickly as it came, it was soon shattered by the obnoxious blaring of an air horn.

Time seemed to move in slow motion as I dived into the water with the other swimmers. I couldn't focus on anything except one word: swim. I pushed easily through the water, smoothly gliding under the crystal blue surface. I brought my head up and heard an unmistakable voice screaming. "GO BABY, YOU-" Dan yelled from the stands, but I dove back under the water before he could finish. 

My arms never stopped whirling and my legs kicked the entire time. I brought my head up out of the water only when necessary, and plowed on, never slowing down. The wall came sooner than I expected, but I just bounced off and continued back the way I had come. I repeated that twice more, finally realizing I was on the home stretch. I pushed as hard as I could, swimming through the water like a fish. I could see the wall up ahead, and with one last burst of strength, I kicked with all my might and zoomed straight towards the wall. 

I popped my head out of the water and shook the water from my ears, only to hear screaming coming from all sides. My trainer had come to the edge of the pool and looked down at me, a large grin on his face. "You won, son!" He exclaimed, jumping up and down. 

I looked up into the stands, searching for Daniel, and chuckled when I saw what position he was in. He was half hanging over the railing, trying to get over even though a security guard was pushing him back. We locked eyes and he screamed something unintelligible  by the pitch it was shrieked in. I pulled off my cap and goggles and set them on the pools edge. 

Suddenly, a wet hand slapped my shoulder. I looked over to see the Australian looking over at me. "Congratulations, Mate." He laughed, pulling off his goggles. 

"Wait..." I began, the color draining from my face. "I actually won?" I asked in disbelief.  

"You got gold! Beat Michael by .2 seconds." He smiled, clapping me on the back. 

I looked up at my trainer, who nodded enthusiastically. "Seriously?" I asked, still in shock. 

"Yes!" He laughed, extending down his arm to help me out of the pool. "Now come on. If we don't get you to Dan soon, he's going to have an embolism." He chuckled. I smiled widely, taking his hand and climbing from the pool. My trainer handed me a towel, which I gladly accepted. I stepped out and was about to make my way to Dan when I was stopped. 

"Hey!" A very American voice called out from behind me. I turned around, only to find Michael Phelps standing a foot away from me. I gulped. "Congratulations." He smiled. 

"T-thank y-you!" I stuttered, surprised. "You aren't m-mad?" I asked. 

"Mad?" He chuckled. "I already have twenty of those. It's nice to get another color once in awhile." He smiled. 

"Come on." My trainer urged, tugging on my arm towards Dan. As we approached, I could hear the struggle between Dan and the guard quite clearly. The grip on my towel got tighter as I stepped closer. 

"Sir, you can't go over the barrier." The guard said calmly, one muscular arm holding back Dan and the other spread out to the side. 

"But Phil is my boyfriend!" He screeched, trying to weasel his way around the guard. 

"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to please sit down." He said seriously. 

"Excuse me?" I asked, coming close to the guard. 

"Yes?" He answered politely, only turning his head to look at me, his eyes going wide once he saw who I was. 

"Could you let my boyfriend through, please?" I asked sweetly. 

He only lowered his arms and stepped away. Dan took that opportunity to scramble over the rail and jump on me. "You did it, Phil!" He exclaimed, wrapping his arms around my neck and his legs around my waist. The towel fell from my grasp and his skinny jeans quickly became soaked with water from the pool. My hands quickly came to hold him from under his backside, and he rested his forehead against mine. 

"No. We did it." I whispered, leaning in to kiss him. Once our lips were connected, he unwrapped his arms from my neck and relocated both hands to my head to pull on my hair. A few catcalls could be heard from all around, but I simply let go of him with one hand and stuck out the other, middle finger standing straight up. 

"Okay, okay!" My trainer exclaimed, pulling our foreheads apart when we had began adding a little tongue to the kiss. "You," he said, wagging his finger in my face, "Get changed. And you," he began, turning the finger on Dan, "Come with me to help get ready for the ceremony." 

"But it would be so much more fun to help Phil get out of that little speedo!" He whined, unwrapping his legs from my waist and hopping down. 

"Shut up and come with me." He snapped, rolling his eyes. 

"Fine." Dan sighed and turned toward him. "Asshole." He followed my trainer across the large area and into a crowd of people where I lost them. Now, I just had to get changed without thinking of Dan helping me out of my speedo. 

\---

"Winning the gold, is Phil Lester from Great Britain!" The announcer said excitedly.

I stepped up onto the platform, arms raised high and my medal around my neck. I looked to Dan, who was cheering wildly in the front row. "I love you, Baby!" He screamed, a grin spread over his face. 

I could hear the clinking of the flag being risen on the flag pole behind me, and braced myself for the booming sound of our national anthem to start playing from the speakers. I put down my hand and stood up straight, like the rest of the crowd. I looked out over the people, some waving British flags, but most just standing with the widest smiles. "God save our gracious Queen! Long live our noble Queen! God save the Queen!" A beautiful voice sang. I locked eyes with Dan again as the melody echoed through the crowd. 

As soon as the song had started, the music stopped, and I continued to stand up on the platform for a few moments more to get my picture taken. When the last camera flashed, I bounded from the platform and over to Dan, who had managed to wriggle his way through any barriers once more. I took him in my arms and lifted him up, which prompted a small giggle to escape his mouth. I set him down, only to have him grab the front of my jacket and pull me down to connect his lips with mine. I leaned down and wrapped my arms around his waist, pulling him to me. 

After a few moments, I pulled away. "I'm so proud of you." He sniffled, saying it so quietly that I almost missed it. 

"I love you." I whispered back, though not as quietly. "I want to spend forever like this." I commented. "Just you and me, together, against the world."

"Get me a ring, and maybe we can work something out." He chuckled, throwing his arms around my neck and gazing up at me with adoring eyes.  

"Well," I hesitated, moving from his embrace. "How about a medal instead?" I asked, backing up far enough that I could get down onto one knee in front of him.

"You aren't serious." He said breathlessly, paling. 

The crowd had apparently noticed my obvious actions, and screams and squeals could be heard from all around us.

"I'm as serious as a heart attack." I replied, taking the medal from around my neck. "Will you, Daniel James Howell, consider being my husband?" I asked, my face falling as he looked way from me.

"Oh my God." He mumbled, turning his head back to me, tears running down his face. "Are you sure?" He asked, wiping his cheeks with the back of his hands.

"Positive." I responded, putting my free hand over my heart. "Before you, my life was like an empty swimming pool. Lonely and dismal, but now, I'm living in high definition crystal blue. So, will you marry me?" I asked again. 

"Yes." He laughed, a giggle coming form his throat. "Yes!" He repeated, louder than last time. The crowd roared as I stood and placed the medal around his neck before pulling him in for another kiss. I brought my hands up to his face and cupped his cheeks gently as we kissed. "I love you." He muttered against my mouth as cheers and congratulations were screamed all around us.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm working on a SUPER smutty religious!Dan and punk!Phil one-shot, so be on the lookout for that over the next week or so! Hopefully I'll have the next installment of Boy That You Love up soon, but unfortunately I'll be going back to school soon, and I won't have as much time to write! Thanks for reading!


End file.
